A Guy’s View: Privilege

“Man’s characteristic privilege is that the bond he accepts is not physical but moral; that is, social. He is governed not by a material environment brutally imposed on him, but by a conscience superior to his own, the superiority of which he feels. Because the greater, better part of his existence transcends the body, he escapes the body’s yoke, but is subject to that of society.” Emile Durkheim

 

We hear a lot about people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. We hear a lot about it, but it applies to the vast minority of us. Gold and silver spoons are the preserve of those of privilege.

 

I heard a story of a man who turned up at the Treasury to complain that a cheque written to him did not contain the handle, “Sir”. The person with whom he dealt tried to explain to him that “Sir” was not part of his name. He refused to heed and demanded to see a senior official. The matter was eventually resolved when reference was made to his birth certificate. “When I see Sir on your birth certificate, I will have it written on the cheque”, he was told. He left a disappointed man.

 

It is not difficult to see that this gentleman was not born into privilege, but had risen socially beyond where he had expected. His is an example of the difference between inherent privilege and attainment. 

 

Those without privilege come to accept that others have it and deserve it. This acceptance creates a self-imposed bond of inferiority and deference to those seen as privileged. Acceptance by others is necessary for societal enforcement of this bond.

 

Several things in a society may manifest this divide. In many places, it is race. But even within races, there are further demarcations based on perceived class. When the natural human attributes do not justify separation and privileged treatment, there is always the opportunity to ask “who was your father?” 

 

Apparently accident of birth confers significant privilege, both within communities and even in countries. We hear of American exceptionalism, only from Americans, but, judging from their politicians, they seem to believe that the rules which apply to everyone else should not apply to them. 

 

The Olympic games gave us another opportunity to see the power of privilege at the level of nations. Up to the week of the start of the games, there was a call for the exclusion of all Russian athletes because of doping allegations. But no one, except everyone in the stadium in Brazil, had a problem with a two time dope offender challenging Usain Bolt for the title of sprint king.

 

For the first time in living memory, a team which was disqualified in the 4x100 relay race was allowed to run without competitors so as to ensure that they could make the finals in that event. Although the games officials had no qualm of conscience in breaking new ground in creating this unfortunate anomaly, it seems that no one else could understand this strange move.

 

A group of privileged swimmers went roaming the streets of Rio. They wrecked the bathroom in a gas station. But that was not what we were told. Instead, the news networks were ablaze with the hot news that these heroes, turned unfortunate victims, had been robbed at gun point. 

 

Immediately, persons started to reflect on the fact that there is a high crime rate in Rio. And then the story was questioned and some of us started to remember what some visitors to our shores have done from time to time. On occasion, some visitors tend to forget that they have their valuable possessions in their personal luggage and report to the police that they were robbed. 

 

Privilege is preserved by structures that were created by the privileged themselves. The most important pillar in this building may be the media. It is important to propagate one’s belief in one’s importance so that others may be convinced of it and further reinforce it. 

 

In the instant case, the media’s role was demonstrated by America’s Cable News Network (CNN). When the truth was revealed that these swimmers were not victims of crime but were perpetrators, CNN swung into action. In reporting on this incident, the fact that the swimmers had lied was briefly mentioned in a way that left a question mark over the security officials in Brazil. The report quickly moved to a changed story. The reporter located herself on a beach that was overflowing with people, all white. Against that background, she interviewed a faceless black man whom she described as a thief. His voice was never heard, but an English speaker, clearly American, described his admission to the crime of which CNN was accusing him. 

 

It is interesting that this visiting reporter could find a self-confessed black thief to interview. Even if there were something genuine about this, it had absolutely nothing to do with athletes damaging a bathroom and lying to the police about being robbed. However, to do it as part of the cover for privileged bad behaviour is an often played game and is well understood. He who controls the media controls the story and he who tells the story shapes the opinion. 

 

This is a case of the media not reporting news, but creating a mindset for viewers. Here, CNN was giving viewers a story, attempting to create what Emile Durkheim described as a superior conscience. If you buy the story, you think as the reporter invited you to think.

 

One need not look to Brazil or CNN for a demonstration of this sophistry. We see it in one of our media organisations every day. Privilege is privilege, wherever it is manifested, and its protection is mandatory. 

 

The Americans write that all men are created equal, but this is not their lived reality. When they wrote this they still owned slaves. But the unequal status of men is not the preserve of America. In every society, ours not excluded, there is evidence of inequality among men. There is privileged and there is under privileged. Fundamentally, it is all about conscience and consciousness. Beyond the divine conscience, each person must have the confidence to understand his or her significance, even where the people with whom you come into contact try to put you into a box that they have created for you.